Three people killed and dozens wounded after terror attack in China

TERROR: Security personnel surround the train station at Urumqi after reports of a terrorist attack [AP]

According to reports armed people attacked commuters at the Urumqi station with knives while explosions went off at the same time.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has promised "decisive actions" against "terrorists" in Xinjiang region.

He told official news agency Xinhua: "The battle to combat violence and terrorism will not allow even a moment of slackness, and decisive actions must be taken to resolutely suppress the terrorists' rampant momentum."

Train services were suspended for about two hours before they reopened under the watch of armed police, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

A woman working at a convenience store near the train station said she heard a loud explosion shortly after 7 p.m.

"The whole area now has been cordoned off by police and military police," said the woman.

Photos circulating briefly on Chinese social media sites showed scattered luggage near the station's exit and a heavy presence of armed men.

Xinhua said the blast was centered on some luggage left on the ground between the station's exit and a bus stop.

Ethnic tensions have been simmering for years in Xinjiang, the home of the Muslim Uighur minority group.

In 2009, a series of riots broke out in Urumqi, leaving nearly 200 people dead, according to official figures.

Despite a heavy crackdown, violence has continued in the region and began spreading elsewhere in the country last year.